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Message: <blockquote data-quote="seasong" data-source="post: 886591" data-attributes="member: 5137">Academia: White Blossom TeaTo the north and west, in the Upper Mountains and the Anton States, a plant grows. Although it has many names (and subspecies), in the Imperial City it is called Alluuches ("pale little blossom"), or white blossom. The flower is a type of poppy native to this setting which has a very low (but still present) morphine content in its natural resins. It thrives best in sea-salted air, and requires a somewhat cooler environment than most poppy flowers, sharply restricting the regions of the world it can grow in without very expensive measures. It is harvested in numerous ways, but the most common one is the method desired by the Imperial aristocracy.The "aristocratic" method is to allow it to bloom, harvest the petals and then sun dry and crush them into small silk pouches, which can then be used to produce white blossom tea. White blossom tea is an evening drink among the Imperial aristocracy, and while some of the nobility refrain from it, this is usually because they have work to do - and culturally, this puts them closer to the working class than most nobles care for. The fact that it's really expensive helps, as well.White blossom tea has a slight narcotic effect. In the aristocratic mind, it adds some life to otherwise dull evening parties, makes friends friendlier, dulls pain, enhances pleasure, and aids sleep. Indeed, careful concoctions of caffeinated tea leaves and white blossom tea bags which initially keep one awake and then allow restful drowsiness by the end of the evening, is considered the mark of an excellent host.Of course, this is not the only thing that is done with the flower. Another type of harvesting is the circle cut method. In this method, the pre-bloom buds are very delicately cut along the surface in vertical lines by a special curved knife. When this is done, a milky resin wells up, drips, and hardens along the stem of the flower; this resin is then scraped off into silk bags, and the resin is ground up and packed into bricks for transport and further processing.The circle cut method results in a much more powerful opiate, which (depending on the later processing) can be smoked or swallowed as part of a bitter, black drink. The stronger version is common among the wealthy in the Badlands, Dis, and other unsavory cities.Among the Imperial aristocrats, the tea has subtle distinguishing characteristics that allow the determination of the precise region it was taken from; and good crops (those with, perhaps, more emotional impact) are often identifiable by their "year".Almost all white blossom tea trade goes through Dis, which is located at the western edge of the Empire (just within its borders, in fact) and is the primary trade route along the Black River (which runs north into the white blossom regions).</blockquote>

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